“Get wisdom.” —Proverbs 4:5
“Get wisdom,” the wise man wrote. Nowhere else in the Bible are we told to go and get a godly virtue.
How? James 1:5 straightforwardly promises, “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.”
Wisdom is a gift God wants to give us—and we need it. Wisdom prevents us from making poor choices, gives us the tools to get through difficult circumstances, provides the insight to learn from our mistakes, and helps us discover purpose and direction for our lives. That’s quite a gift.
But is it that easy? Jesus said, “Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?” (Matthew 7:9-10).
So if you ask for wisdom from your heavenly Father, believing He will give it, you can be sure He will (James 1:6).
But He also wants us to understand the process. “Consider it pure joy,” James also wrote, “whenever you face trials of many kinds, because the testing of your faith develops perseverance…so that you may be mature and complete.”
Wisdom is like salvation. God gives us the gift of salvation and eternal life the moment we ask. He also has a plan for maturing us in the faith. He allows us to “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you” (Philippians 2:12-13).
God not only gives us wisdom generously and immediately, but He also develops wisdom in our lives through a maturing process that includes trials and testing, along with blessings. Because of His great love and compassion, we can be sure that the result will be to grow wiser, to handle life with more confidence and strength, and to learn to find joy in the process.
“Wisdom rises upon the ruins of folly.” —Thomas Fuller
